IFA Halloween Party October 31

On Halloween night (October 31 at 5 PM) there will be a costume party for Inverness residents, young and old, with or without kids.  Everyone is invited.

Cybel Wigle provided the following details about the event:

I would like to clarify a miss conception about the Halloween party that will take place in the 8100 block of IRR, at 5pm [on Oct 31]. 
After talking to several people in the neighborhood, it seems that many understood that the party was only for parents and kids. That is totally INCORRECT. 
Everyone in our community is WELCOME. People with or WITHOUT kids, couples, singles, friends, and all are welcome. You can also to dress-up or not. We are highly encouraging dressing up to make of this day a more festive one. 
We apologize for the confusion and hope to see everybody on Halloween day :-)
Please pass the word for those who cant reach this page.
Hoping to see ALL our community together on Halloween day :-)

Harvey

iftblog@gmail.com

Saving Money on Environmental Improvements

Sabine Dohrn, former IFA board member and environmental expert, asked me to post her email about how to take advantage of rebates offered by various sources.  Taking advantage of all possible rebates might save you over 60% of the cost of environmentally friendly upgrades to your house.

Here is Sabine's email:

With climate change, raising energy prices and financial uncertainty looming, it seems like a good idea to look into the rebates being offered by Montgomery County, Maryland and PEPCO for home improvements that are energy efficient.  One can simultaneously take advantage of all of them and can save over 60% on the cost.  If you need to replace your furnace, are planning to insulate your attic or buy a new appliance, you may want to check these websites out.  Be careful though to make sure to hire an approved auditor if you are planning to do for example envelope improvements, i.e. wall or attic insulation or duct sealing etc.. The cost for the audit is $100 which is reimbursed by Maryland. 

For MEA (Maryland Energy Administration), instructions can be found at the link below. 

These funds will soon run out.  

http://www.energy.state.md.us/homeperformance/documents/CustomerChecklist3-29-11.pdf

Montgomery County  requests that the homeowner submit the rebate application on-line:

http://www.mcenergyfunding.com/ResidentialRebates/

Pepco rebates are applied for by the contractor, after all work has been performed.

http://homeenergysavings.pepco.com/md/home-energy-savings/home-performance-audit

One should really take advantage as one can save up to 70%, taking into account 

rebates from these three sources plus federal tax income credits.

Harvey

iftblog@gmail.com

Crime Reported in Inverness Forest

As a followup to the Sept. 30, 2011 blog post on burglaries in Potomac, here is a report of vandalism and possible theft in Inverness Forest.

Sandra Gaddy asked the president of IFA, Sharlene Shugarman, to inform the community about the vandalism. Here is her email:

"I just want to report that my gas tank cover was torn off my car lastnight. Gas tank covers were also tapered with on two other cars.None of us are sure how much gas was in our tanks but we think gas wassiphoned. We reported the matter to the police and thought you mightwant to alert the community to be vigilant.
Sandra Gaddy"

If you have a comment or additional information, please post it here or on the Inverness Forest Group at Facebook.

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If you look to the right sidebar, you will see that my Inverness Forest Today blog has had over 11,000 page views since its inception in 2008.  I appreciate all the interest and the positive comments over the years.  I intend to continue posting to this blog after I leave the board in a few days.  I appreciate your emails on topics or questions you'd like to see addressed.

As I mentioned in my previous blog post, "A New Community Communication Resource" (Oct 7, 2011), the new Inverness Forest Facebook Group is a very good way to directly connect with other residents in our community.  The group already has 21 members and is growing rapidly.  I hope you'll take advantage of this resource and join the group.  That way you can see what other residents are saying and perhaps add to the discussion yourself.

Harvey

iftblog@gmail.com

A New Community Communication Resource

I'm happy to inform you that we have a new communication resource for Inverness Forest.  Thanks to the efforts of Renzo Bejarano, we now have a Facebook Group called "Inverness Forest".  This group is not sponsored or affiliated with the Inverness Forest Association (the board).  Any posts or comments on the group's page are the views of individual residents.  Of course board members may view the posts, add comments, and create their own posts if they wish.  

Although I will continue to actively blog here on Inverness Forest Today after I leave the board next week, there are many reasons for you to join the new Facebook group.  One is that we shouldn't be dependent on just one person (me) to handle the communications with residents.  Things happen and we might find ourselves without my blog if I were to move away or otherwise be unable to continue to write my blog.

Another reason is that, while I try to be fair and reasonable, what I put on this blog is based solely on my judgement.  Inevitably, I have to exclude some things that I don't consider useful to communicate but which others might think should be brought to the attention of the community.  We really shouldn't have me or anyone else as a "gatekeeper"; everyone should have a way to raise issues and provide information to the community.  That is what the Facebook group does.

Anyone who joins the Facebook group can create a post on the group page that can be seen by all group members when they visit the Facebook group's site.  Posting and adding a comment to someone else's post is easy.  There is a box on the page that says, "Write Something ..."  Just type into the box and hit return.

Although just started a few days ago, the group already has 12 members (As of October 9, membership has climbed to 21).  The more residents that join this group, the more useful it will be to everyone.  Any Facebook user can find the group by typing "Inverness Forest" into the Facebook search box.  Once on the group page, you can request admission to the group.

Harvey

iftblog@gmail.com

Request for Recommendations

Shaowei Li is asking for a contractor recommendation to work on her kitchen and bathrooms remodeling.  So many people have helped residents with their recommendations in the past. I hope that this will continue.  Shaowei would also like to have some recommendations on contractors who do roof replacement/repairs.

Here is Shaowei's email:

Dear Harvey, We want to have our kitchen and bathrooms remodeling. Do you know any good company? 

Thanks! Shaowei Li 

301-299-8877

Harvey

Attempted burglaries in Potomac

Update:  The meeting will be held on October 17 at 7:30 PM at Bells Mill ES.


Also, there is a Yahoo Group where local residents can post crime information.  The link to the group is PotomacCommunityAwareness@yahoogroups.com

There have been reports of attempted burglaries in nearby communities recently. I would like to thank Renzo and Jessica Bejarano for keeping me informed about these developments. Representatives of affected communities are arranging a meeting with the police and our Montgomery County Council Member, Roger Berliner. It appears the date of this meeting will be October 17, but no other details are available at this time.

Here is the email forwarded by Renzo and Jessica:

From: Worland HOA [mailto:worlandhoa@gmail.com]

Sent: Wednesday, September 28, 2011 9:36 AM

Subject: Another break in

All,

I received this today from the President of the Fox Hills Community HOA. He is coordinating a four neighborhood meeting where police and county councilmember Berliner want to alert residents to the county response to the recent attempted burglaries along gainsborough in your area. They want to hold the meeting at cabin john or bells mill schools but it may even be at potomac community center. I will keep you posted. Below is the latest report:

There was another attempted break-in on Tyler Terrace, just off Gainsborough Road between Bells Mill and Democracy, Friday night, September 23, approx 10:50 pm. Someone was attempting to jimmy the front door open. Homeowner called police but the people ran off and they didn't find anything. Dogs in neighboring house were going crazy. This is the same place where the Blue Mustang was parked LAST weekend--just out of view from the main road.

Keep lights on and lock up in the evening. If you are away, leave lights on timers. Speak to your immediate neighbors on both sides and behind to ensure that we are all working together. I noticed a lot of homes with no exterior lights on this week in our neighborhood. Please help spread the word about the security issues in our area.

Regards,

Dawn

Harvey

iftblog@gmail.com

Recommendations Wanted for Window Replacement in Inverness

I received the following email from Inverness resident Judy Chen:

The windows in my Inverness village house are not working too well. I wonder if anyone in the community  has repaired/replaced the windows and would like to share their experience with me I will be much appreciated.  Thanks. Judy Chen from Inverness village

If you have any recommendations or suggestions for Judy, please leave a comment on this post or send me an email.  Also, if you have had a good or bad experience with window replacement, please fill out the Contractor Recommendation Form by clicking on this link or the link in the sidebar to the right.  This will help other people who might have a similar question in the future.

Harvey iftblog@gmail.com

Earthquake in Inverness

An earthquake hit the Washington area (and far beyond) about an hour ago (around 1:50 pm).  I've walked around our community during the past 30 minutes and no one has reported any significant damage.  No one has reported any damage by email either.  

The earthquake was centered in Mineral, VA and was of magnitude 5.9; Mineral is between Richmond and Charlottesville.  Many buildings were evacuated, but people are now being told they can go back inside.

There is a possibility of aftershocks.  If you feel one, it is safer to be outside than inside.

If you commute by Metro trains, expect a slow commute because Metro personnel will be checking out the condition of the tracks.

Harvey

iftblog@gmail.com

A String of Car Burglaries Last Night

Cybel Wigle sent me the following email about a string of car break-ins that occurred last night in her cul-de-sac.  Someone from another cul-de-sac also reported a string of burglaries from cars.

Hello neighbors,

This morning I found my car opened and burglarized. It wasn't only us, but another 4 neighbors in our cul-de-sac. The police took samples of the finger prints in all cars. Thankfully, I had nothing of value taken but a $50 REI gift card.

Please stay vigilant and do not leave any items of value in your cars.

Have a great day!

Cybel W.

8151 IRR

Please follow Cybel's advice and do not leave anything valuable in your car in plain sight.  In past years we have had reports of similar incidents.  Here is a link to an Inverness Forest Today blog post I did a few years ago on the same subject:

http://invernessforest.blogspot.com/2008/08/opportunist-burglary-attempt-in.html


Harvey


Harvey Levine
iftblog@gmail.com

Recommendation Needed for Deck Contractor

Inverness resident Maria Sarria would like a recommendation from the readers of the Inverness Forest Today blog for a contractor that can rebuild her deck.  She has checked the Contractor List but no one has provided a recommendation for a company that works on decks.  Here is Maria's email:

Hi Harvey,

We want to rebuild our deck but don't have any clue of what contractor would be good for the job. We already check the Inverness contractors list but didn't find one. Do you have any names of contractors that have worked in our neighborhood?

Thanks a lot,

Maria Sarria

If you have had your deck worked on and have a recommendation for Maria, good or bad, please let me know.  As usual, you can leave a comment on this blog post or send me an email at: iftblog@gmail.com

Thanks,

Harvey

Harvey Levine

iftblog@gmail.com

Another Warning About Hiring Itinerant Workmen

Someone knocked on my door this evening and told me that "they" were doing some window installation work in the neighborhood and would like to give everyone who signed up a group discount.

I remembered the horror stories that we heard two years ago concerning residents being scammed in our community.  I wrote a blog post on the subject here on Inverness Forest Today (April 19, 2009 -- see link below)

I was particularly suspicious because the "sales rep" didn't have any business cards, or glossy brochures with pictures of satisfied customers admiring their work.  I asked the "rep" the name of the company a few times without getting an answer.  Instead he told me that their company was on the "Approved List of the Homeowners Association".

I imagine most readers of Inverness Forest Today know that I've been on the board of directors of our homeowners association (Inverness Forest Association) for many years -- in fact almost seven years.  I can assure you that there is no such thing as an Approved List of the Homeowners Association.  Your board of directors does not endorse any company or contractor.

I again asked the "rep" the name of his company and this time he said, "Home Fix It".  I told him he was lying through his teeth, that I'm on the board of directors, and that we do not endorse any company.  He quickly turned and left.

I don't know if this "rep" is a scam artist or not, but I do know he's a liar.

Please be very careful about giving money and signing contracts with itinerant workman who knock on your door and give you a sales pitch.  It you decide to consider hiring the contractor, at least take a few common sense precautions:

• Ask for the name and address of people in our community for whom they did work.  Go to those references and ask about the quality of the work performed by the contractor -- and did they, if fact, do any work.
• Ask for a written estimate, on company letterhead. If you decide to go ahead, make sure you have a written contract (again on company letterhead) with the nature of the work spelled out and the complete cost specified.
• Make sure the contract specifies a small deposit up front and not all or most of the agreed cost up front.  The remainder should be due upon the satisfactory completion of the work, or, for a big job, in increments as the work progresses.
• Make sure the workmen are "bonded" by getting a copy of the insurance company's certificate for that contractor.  This is very important!  If you hire someone who is not bonded and they get injured while working on your property, you could be sued for hundreds of thousands of dollars (or more).  

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Please read the IFT blog post of April 19, 2009 at the link below.  I covered many of these issues at that time and there were some excellent comments and stories about scam artists and shoddy workers in our community.

Here is a link to the Inverness Forest Today Post of April 19, 2009:


http://invernessforest.blogspot.com/2009/04/warning-on-itinerant-roof-repair.html


One more thought: the Contractor List (link in the sidebar) provides information from residents who have hired contractors and rated their performance.  Read the Contractor List to see if there are recommendations for the kind of work you need performed.  Fill out the Contractor Form (also in the sidebar) telling about your experience with your contractor -- good or bad.


Harvey

Help with Front Door Replacement

Inverness resident Nicole Fleisher has a question that perhaps can be answered by someone in our community. Here is the email she sent me:

I'm writing with an Inverness conundrum.  We're trying to replace the front door, door frame, and sidelights on our Carnation model, but have been having trouble finding a contractor to do the work.  Since the doorframe has a slight curve at the top, this essentially means that a new frame has to be custom built, and there don't seem to be many companies/people to do this.  

Do you know of anyone in the neighborhood who has had this done?  (i.e a full door frame replacement in addition to the door).  Any thoughts from you or the blog audience would be appreciated!

-Nicole Fleisher

 If anyone has used a contractor to do the work that Nicole wants done, please let me know in any of these ways:

• Send me an email at iftblog@gmail.com
• Leave a comment to this post
• Fill out the Contractor Form (link in the sidebar) so that your response will be available to the entire community on the Contractor List (link also in the sidebar)

Thanks for any help you can provide Nicole and perhaps others who might be thinking of doing the same thing.

Harvey

ftblog@gmail.com

Tax Day Thoughts: IFA Pays Taxes Too!

When I became Treasurer of the Inverness Forest Association almost seven years ago, I naturally assumed that, as a nonprofit organization, we did not pay taxes.  I was wrong.

It is true that we do not pay income tax.  However there are other forms of taxes that even a nonprofit must pay.  In particular, the Inverness Forest Association is subject to property taxes just like individual homeowners.  In 2010, the Inverness Forest Association paid $552.25 in property taxes to Montgomery County.

Our "tax-free" status does not protect the IFA homeowners association from being required to also pay fees, which are like taxes, to Montgomery County.  Last year the IFA paid almost $1,000 in fees.

Still, these taxes are tiny compared to what individual homeowners pay.  I noticed while I was doing my income tax that the property tax on my house was almost 10 times as much as the amount that the IFA pays.  Not having to pay income tax is a great benefit to our homeowners association.  If you dare to look at your own 1040, you might be shocked to see just how many tens of thousands of dollars you pay to the IRS each year, and don't forget the other thousands you pay in income tax to Maryland and Montgomery County.

Happy Tax Day!

Agatha Christie's Mousetrap Opens in Potomac

The Agatha Christie play The Mousetrap opened in London in 1952. It has run continuously for almost 60 years! If you don't feel like traveling to London just to see this masterpiece, you can drive about10 minutes to the Bullis School campus.

The Potomac Theatre Company will be presenting The Mousetrap starting this Thursday, March 10 at the Blair Family Center on the Bullis Campus. The show will run for three consecutive weekends. See the flyer below

Need a Renter?

Once in a while on Inverness Forest Today I've played "Matchmaker".  That is, I've been able to match people who need a service with those willing to offer that service.  This happened during last winter's blizzards when people who needed someone to shovel their snow were paired with people who were offering to shovel snow.

Encouraged by that success, I thought it might be useful to match Inverness Forest home owners who might be looking for a renter with a person who is looking to rent a house in our community.  Our Board President, Sharlene Shugarman, received the following email:

From: Marta Patterson [mailto:marta.patterson@gmail.com] Sent: Monday, February 21, 2011 8:44 AMTo: sshugarman@verizon.net
Subject: Inverness Forest Rental

I am interested in renting in Inverness Forest. Can you please tell me if there are any townhouses for rent at this time?

Thank you,

Marta Patterson

202-577-6383

Harvey

iftblog@gmail.com

Montgomery County's Online Tool to Follow the Plows

Many thanks to Inverness Forest resident Elise Vernick for bringing the following information to my attention:

Montgomery County has a new online tool this year for county residents to follow the progress of snow plows on a map during and after a snow storm.  The status of whether plowing is complete, in progress, or not yet started is indicated by different colors on the map.  You can zoom in to see just your immediate neighborhood (or a different area, perhaps where you intend to visit).  You can enter a street address into a box and the map will zoom to that area.

Here is the link to the website:

www.montgomerycountymd.gov/SnowMap

(if clicking on the link doesn't work in your browser, copy the link and paste it into your browser's URL address field).

Harvey
iftblog@gmail.com

Below is the story on the new county snow plow tool from THE PAPERLESS AIRPLANE:

December 2010
Patrick Lacefield, Director | Bonnie Ayers, Editor
Montgomery County officials today announced the launch of a new, online tool that will make it easier for residents to decide when to safely venture out following a snowstorm. The map tool will show the progress of snow plows throughout the County and indicate when emergency roads, primary neighborhood streets and neighborhood streets have been cleared. A zoom feature allows residents to focus on the plow status of their immediate neighborhood and surrounding streets and then zoom out to check on an entire trip route. "Following last year’s record-breaking snowfalls, I asked all our departments to find ways to better communicate with residents during storms," said Montgomery County Executive Isiah Leggett. "After looking at commercial, online, map systems that track real-time status of snow plowing operations, our departments of Transportation and Technology Services decided that they could put together a far less expensive and more effective tool that specifically meets Montgomery County’s needs. I’m proud of their ingenuity and ability to deliver this tremendous aid to our residents."  Each road category, whether an emergency/main route or neighborhood street, is designated on the map by a different color. Patterns are used to show whether plowing has begun or not, is in progress or complete. Residents are encouraged to consult the map before concluding their street has been missed.  The map includes a handy icon that allows residents to see road views from any of the County’s nearly 200 traffic cameras. Also shown is helpful information about the location of bus stops and Metro stations. The online map system allows residents to easily report an intersection that needs additional sand or salt, a missed street, or a damaged mailbox.  Since many roads in the County are not cleared by the County’s Department of Transportation (MCDOT), it can be confusing for residents. All State-maintained, numbered roads (such as Georgia Avenue, Maryland Route 97 or Rockville Pike, Maryland Route 355) in the County are cleared by the Maryland State Highway Administration (MSHA). A link to information from MSHA about their plowing progress is also available.  Other departments, outside agencies and governmental jurisdictions also have responsibility for plowing. They include the Montgomery County Board of Education; the Maryland-National Capital Park & Planning Commission; the Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Authority (Metro); municipalities; and homeowner’s associations. Commercial parking lot owners plow their own properties and are prohibited from moving snow into the street.  During a snowfall, MCDOT works continuously to salt and sand nearly 1,000 lane miles of primary (arterial roads connecting subdivisions or business districts) and secondary roads (main collector streets through subdivisions) and keep them in "bare pavement" condition. This ensures that in case of an emergency every County resident is within one-half mile of a cleared road. As snow accumulations reach three inches, plowing operations begin and all attention remains focused on keeping primary roads clear to ensure emergency access.  Once the snow stops falling and major roads are clear, crews then turn their attention to snow removal from more than 4,100 lane miles of neighborhood streets. It’s important for residents to understand that MCDOT’s goal is to make these streets passable – not clear them to bare pavement.  The type of snow (wet or powdery), pavement temperature, ambient air temperature, and wind conditions following a storm affect how quickly snow can be removed. MCDOT offers these general guidelines: It takes about 16 hours following the end of a three-inch snowfall to plow or treat every County road once. After a 10-inch snowfall, major and primary County roads should be cleared and neighborhood streets made passable within 24 to 36 hours. Snow removal will continue until all streets have been treated at least once. After a 15-inch snowfall, crews should complete their work in about 36 to 48 hours. After a 24-inch snowfall, crews should complete the work in about 48 to 60 hours. A workforce of 200 employees with 175 pieces of snow removal equipment and 180 contractors with 225 pieces of equipment work around the clock until all County-maintained streets are passable. More resources may be called in for exceptional storms. To view the online map system, go to www.montgomerycountymd.gov/SnowMap.